III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 149 

Honoring the life and contributions of His Eminence, Archbishop Iakovos, 

former archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and 

South America. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 19, 2005 

Ms. SNOWE (for herself and Mr. SARBANES) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION

Honoring the life and contributions of His Eminence, Archbishop Iakovos, former archbishop of the Greek Orthodox 

Archdiocese of North and South America.

Whereas His Eminence, Archbishop Iakovos, former archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and 

South America and spiritual leader of Greek Orthodox 

Christians in the Western Hemisphere from 1959 to 

1996, passed away at the age of 93 on April 10, 2005, 

in Stamford, Connecticut; 

Whereas, when Archbishop Iakovos retired at the age of 85 

on July 29, 1996, the Archbishop had given 37 years of 

outstanding service that were distinguished by his leadership in furthering religious unity, revitalizing Christian 

worship, and championing human and civil rights; 
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•SRES 149 IS

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was born Demetrios A. 

Coucouzis on the tiny island of Imbros in the Aegean Sea 

to Maria and Athanasios Coucouzis on July 29, 1911; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos enrolled in the Ecumenical Patriarchal Theological School at Halki at the age of 15; 

Whereas, after graduating with high honors from Halki, 

Archbishop Iakovos was ordained deacon in 1934, taking 

the ecclesiastical name Iakovos; 

Whereas 5 years after his ordination, Archbishop Iakovos received an invitation to serve as archdeacon to the late 

Archbishop Athenagoras, the primate of North and South 

America, who later became Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople; 

Whereas in 1940, Archbishop Iakovos was ordained to the 

priesthood in Lowell, Massachusetts, beginning his service at St. George Church in Hartford, Connecticut, while 

teaching and serving as assistant dean of the Holy Cross 

Greek Orthodox Theological School, then in Pomfret, 

Connecticut, and now in Brookline, Massachusetts; 

Whereas in 1941, Archbishop Iakovos was named preacher at 

Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City, and in the 

summer of 1942 served as temporary dean of St. Nicholas Church in St. Louis, Missouri; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was appointed dean of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1942, and remained there until 1954; 

Whereas in 1945, Archbishop Iakovos earned a Master of Sacred Theology Degree from Harvard University; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos became a United States citizen 

in 1950; 
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Whereas in 1954, Archbishop Iakovos was ordained Bishop of 

Melita by his spiritual father and mentor, Ecumenical 

Patriarch Athenagoras, for whom he served four years as 

personal representative of the Patriarchate to the World 

Council of Churches in Geneva; 

Whereas on February 14, 1959, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate elected Archbishop Iakovos to succeed Archbishop Michael as primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Americas; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was enthroned April 1, 1959, at 

Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City, assuming responsibility for a jurisdiction that has grown to be over 

500 parishes in the United States alone; 

Whereas the enthronement of Archbishop Iakovos in 1959 

ushered in a new era for the Greek Orthodox Church in 

America, in which the Church became part of the mainstream of American religious life; 

Whereas in 1959, shortly after being named archbishop, 

Archbishop Iakovos held a historic meeting with Pope 

John XXIII, becoming the first Greek Orthodox Archbishop to meet with a Roman Catholic Pope in 350 years; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was a dynamic participant in 

the contemporary ecumenical movement for Christian 

unity, serving for nine years as President of the World 

Council of Churches and piloting Inter-Orthodox, InterChristian, and Inter-Religious dialogues; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos vigorously supported the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and had the courage to walk hand in hand with Dr. Martin Luther King, 

Jr. in Selma, Alabama, a historic moment for America 
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•SRES 149 IS

that was captured on the cover of LIFE Magazine on 

March 26, 1965; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos spoke out forcefully against violations of human rights and religious freedom and, in 

1974, undertook a massive campaign to assist Greek 

Cypriot refugees following the invasion of Cyprus by 

Turkish armed forces; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian 

honor, which was bestowed on him by President Carter 

on June 9, 1980; 

Whereas in 1986, Archbishop Iakovos was awarded the Ellis 

Island Medal of Honor and was cited by the Academy of 

Athens, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, 

and the Appeal of Conscience; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos, during his stewardship of the 

Greek Orthodox Church in America, became an imposing 

religious figure and a champion of social causes, encouraging the faithful to become involved in all aspects of 

American life; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was a friend to nine Presidents, 

and to religious and political leaders worldwide, receiving 

honorary degrees from some 40 colleges and universities; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos presented a prayer at Presidential inaugural ceremonies in 1961, 1965, 1969, and 

1973; 

Whereas the Archbishop has said of his pastoral work with 

immigrants in New England and New York, ‘‘I lived and 

struggled with them to maintain the faith and culture.’’; 

Whereas in a 1995 interview, the Archbishop said he had accomplished a major goal ‘‘to have the Orthodox Church 
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be accepted by the family of religions in the United 

States’’; and 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was interred at the Holy Trinity 

Cathedral in New York, New York, on April 15, 2005: 

Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) mourns the loss of Archbishop Iakovos and 

3 commends the life the Archbishop led; 

4 (2) thanks Archbishop Iakovos for his service to 

5 the members of his church and to the people of this 

6 Nation; 

7 (3) honors Archbishop Iakovos’ commitment to 

8 the principles of equality, humanity, and peace; and 

9 (4) recognizes that Archbishop Iakovos was a 

10 committed and caring pastor to a whole generation 

11 of Greek Americans— 

12 (A) whose hard work, determination, and 

13 pride in their religious and cultural heritage 

14 Archbishop Iakovos embodied; and 

15 (B) who will dearly miss the Archbishop.

Æ